Jaguar Land Rover Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors Limited) and Chery Automobile Company Limited announced a new value-creating collaboration model for the next era of electrification in China.

The new collaboration model fully leverages Chery’s strong position in China’s car market and JLR’s unique heritage and design skills. Hence, it will create positive opportunities for both sides.

According to the new licensing deal, the CJLR Joint Venture will shift to producing a range of advanced electric vehicles using Chery’s EV technology, exclusively under the Freelander brand name.

This marks the start of a new strategic phase for CJLR, during which Freelander will be relaunched under a license from JLR. This new value creation system will be separate from Chery’s current lineup and JLR’s modern luxury brands.

Adrian Mardell, JLR’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Today we are taking this important strategic step for JLR, one which underlines our ongoing commitment to China and complements our existing business in China. We believe that working together to develop new models of collaboration for the world’s largest and fastest-growing electric vehicle market, combined with the appeal of the Freelander brand, promises a very exciting future for CJLR.”

Manufacturing And Market Positioning

The Freelander brand, originally a Land Rover vehicle made from 1997 to 2015 and replaced by the Discovery Sport in 2016, is being revived by CJLR. Freelander will offer a range of mainstream electric vehicles in its new form, initially sold in China through a separate network but eventually planned for global export.

These vehicles will be designed with input from Chery and JLR’s creative teams to establish a new position in China’s fast-growing New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) market. They will be manufactured at CJLR’s current facility in Changshu.